Skip to main content
Georgia

Georgia defensive front 'hungry' ahead of matchup with Alabama

Jeremy Johnsonby: Jeremy Johnson09/24/25JeremyO_Johnson
On3 image
Georgia defensive lineman Nnamdi Ogboko (95) during Georgia’s game against Tennessee at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. (Tony Walsh/UGAAA)

Georgia’s defensive front can sense the moment. The Bulldogs have four sacks in the first three games in 2025. The Bulldogs got one sack in Knoxville. Chris Cole picked up sack number two on the season in the Bulldogs’ 44-41 win over Tennessee two weeks ago.

Alabama is heading to Athens on Saturday. The Bulldogs did not record a sack in last season’s 41-34 loss in Tuscaloosa.

Georgia will face a different quarterback on Saturday. Jalen Milroe has moved to the NFL, and Ty Simpson has taken over.

Georgia front looking to make a big impact on Saturday night

The Bulldogs will have the home crowd at their back this Saturday. Head coach Kirby Smart has felt the defensive front’s desire to make an impact in the first two days of practice this week.

Stopping the run and making plays on first and second down can earn the opportunities to go rush the passer for the Bulldogs. Playing in front of a loud crowd gives them a bit of an advantage as the offensive line will be counting on silent counts, watching the football, and timing. There is an obvious opportunity ahead of them on Saturday against the Crimson Tide.

“They’re hungry,” Smart told reporters on Tuesday. “They’re ready to get after it. They want to challenge. It was tough at Tennessee. We didn’t have many third downs. We didn’t get many passing situations playing from behind most of the game. They did a good job picking things up… I’m excited to see these guys go play. They want an opportunity to go play and get after it. It’s going to be a fun game. They’ve got a really big physical offensive line. They can maul you and bully you. They’re big and they’re physical. They’ve got big, good backs. It’s going to be a great challenge for our front against their line.”

Sacks don’t define pressure for Georgia

Georgia doesn’t define its success by sack numbers.

“I mean, as a defense, we’re not necessarily going off sacks,” Georgia outside linebacker Quintavius Johnson told reporters on Tuesday. “I feel like every guy just wants to do their 11-man job. So I feel like the numbers are not really like a positive or a negative on the defense… The things that we look at with defense are maybe stopping the run, limiting the explosive plays.”

Johnson believes in handling his business so that those around him can do their jobs. There’s a good bit of trust involved in being disruptive for Georgia’s defense.

“It’s just about doing my job, not worrying about the sacks and trusting the guys that are around me,” Johnson said.

Alabama enters Saturday’s game with one of the top passing attacks in the SEC. Simpson leads the SEC in Quarterback Rating with a rating of 186.6. He’s only been sacked four times so far this season.

Georgia and Alabama kick off Saturday night in Athens at 7:30 p.m.


You may also like